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• 2 • Action Magazine, February 2015
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Augie Meyers to emcee Action’s 40th blowout
Augie Meyers will play
and act as emcee for Action Magazine’s 40th Anniversary Party on April 12
at Texas Pride Barbecue.
Early indications are
that this one will be a blasteroo to end all blasteroos.
It will start at high noon
and continue on until the
cows come home.
When the decision was
made to hold an Action
Magazine concert, our initial concern was finding
enough musicians willing
to lend us their time and
talents.
Such has not been the
case. They have been
coming in at a furious clip,
and the only problem confronting us now is getting
everyone on the stage
who wants to play the
event.
Already committed to
play the show are such
nationally known performers and recording artists
as Johnny Bush, Johnny
Rodriguez, Meyers, and
Darrell McCall. Also world
class singer, songwriter,
and fiddler Ron Knuth.
Joe King Carrasco, one
of the most incredible performers we have ever
known, confirmed just before this writing that he will
make the event.
Kinky Friedman is in
Australia at this writing,
but he indicated that he is
almost certain to be on the
show. He will let us know
for sure the first week in
February.
San Antonio stalwarts
schedule to play the event
include Dub Robinson and
his Drugstore Cowboys,
The Toman Brothers
(Randy and Russ), Wayne
Harper, George Chambers, Jimmy Spacek,
Sylvia Kirk, Claude Morgan, Hector Saldana and
his Krayolas, Laurabell
and the West Side Horns,
Bonnie Lang, and teen
sensation Victoria Celestine.
We are counting on
George Chambers to
oversee the backup band
which will probably be an
ever-changing unit behind
first one and then another
vocal performer.
With his band George
Chambers and the Country Gentlemen, Chambers
has backed up the greatest of the greats in the
field of country music,
ranging from Loretta Lynn
to George Jones and
Merle Haggard.
Randy Toman is one of
the finest bass guitarists
to be found, and he has indicated a willingness to
play behind some of the
other bands on the show.
And we just got an email
from Larry (Big Larry) Patton in Nashville, another
world class bassist who
has worked with Hank
Williams Jr., and The
Buckboard Boogie Boys.
Larry says he is eager to
be part of the celebration.
You won’t find finer guitarists anywhere in the
state than Dub Robinson
and Russell Toman. And
both Claude Morgan and
show band leader Wayne
Harper are also capable of
playing guitar behind anyone.
At this point, we need
to establish a basic
backup band which will be
available to kick off the
show and work as needed
behind various performers. And we would like to
hear from some other instrumentalists who would
be willing to lend a hand
when needed.
All gate proceeds from
this event will go to the Animal Defense League of
San Antonio. Ticket prices
will be posted soon. Ticket
price is $10.
Texas Pride owner
Tony Talanco is providing
us with the entire venue
out near Adkins, and this
includes a state-of-the-art
sound system, completely
covered outdoor patio and
dance pavilion, and an indoor barbecue restaurant
with food which is legendary.
Assisting
us
with
Augie Meyers
scheduling and promotions is Roy Holley, veteran DJ and band
promoter who hosts a
weekly show on KKYX
680 AM called Talk About
Texas. Holley is on the air
from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
every Saturday.
• DEPARTMENTS •
Sam Kindrick...........................................6
Everybody’s Somebody..........................9
Scatter Shots.........................................10
Letters ..................................................13
Editor & Publisher..................Sam Kindrick
Sales........................................Action Staff
Photography.............................Action Staff
Distribution............................Ronnie Reed
Composition..........................Elise Taquino
Volume 40 • Number 2
• FEATURE •
Laurabell..................................................4
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 3 •
The amazing return
of a blues power
we feared was lost
By Sam Kindrick
Blues belter Laurabell
has undergone a miraculous transformation since
release of her powerful
first album last August.
The release party was
held at the now defunct
Texas 46 Saloon in Spring
Branch, and the singing
celebrant on stage appeared more dead than
alive.
“I wasn’t in good shape
back then,” Laurabell
laughs, “and I would like to
forget that picture you took
Let us cater
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of me at the release party.
I can really see the difference between that awful
photo and the ones you
just took over at Raffles.”
As in the difference between graveyard dead and
alive with a voice that can
make the ground shake
on a given day or night.
To put it specifically,
Laurabell has quit drinking
alcohol while finally coming to terms with the
breakup of her 17-yearmarriage to B.K. Ramirez.
“B.K. found someone
on the internet 20 years
his junior, and when he left
me for this woman in
Washington State, it was
like I had been hit by a
train,” Laurabell said. “I
had no warning, no clue,
and I just shut down. For
two straight years, I sat in
my house at Bulverde and
drank. I truly thought I was
going to hell in a hand
basket.”
And it was about the
same hand basket existence for three more years
after that. The big change
started after the record release in August.
“I had been missing in
action for about five
years,” Laurabell said.
The photos for this article were taken at a
Wednesday night show at
Raffles, a gig which has
since ended.
Now sober in a recovery program, Laurabell
laments the loss of her
home in Bulverde and
most every other earthly
possession in her realm,
but she appears to be on
the road back.
“I finally looked myself
in the mirror and saw the
problem,” she said. “It wasn’t B.K. at all, it was me.
And I realized that I am
the one with the resources
to do something about it.”
Born Laura Bell in San
Antonio 60 years ago in
August, the two names
have been blurred together so long that most
people don’t realize the
difference.
“When I was just a kid I
would tell the teachers my
name is Laura Bell, and
they would ask me what
my last name was,” Laurabell said. “So I have always been Laurabell. My
friends all call me Laura-
The new look Laurabell
bell or L.B. I’ve got it Laura
Bell on my album jacket,
and Laurabell on my business cards. So just take
your pick.”
With a grown son in
Baltimore and a daughter
in Houston, Laurabell has
two grandchildren and a
history which includes
jazz and blues singing
gigs in both Baltimore and
Portland, Oregon, operation and establishment of
battered women shelters
across the country, restaurant management, pioneer
work with the San Antonio
Blues Society, local appearances with her band
Continued on pg. 7
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• 4 • Action Magazine, February 2015
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Action Magazine, February 2015 • 5 •
The Charlie Hebdo horrors in Gay Paree reinforce my gratitude for the journalistic environment we
have here in Texas.
Before the deranged disciples of Allah all but
annihilated the French magazine’s editorial staff last
month, the most dangerous place for ink-slingers to
work was Mexico.
Drug cartel killings of Mexican journalists all but
eliminated what free press might have existed south of
the border. And media reports on Mexico’s drug business are little more than a distant memory today.
Such is not the case in France.
Talk about waving a red flag in the bull’s face.
In Texas we have bumper stickers that read
Don’t Mess With Texas.
There are no stickers in France that say Don’t
Fuck With The Prophet Muhammad.
Charlie Hebdo, France’s National Lampoon
with no governor on religion spoofery, paid a big price
for ridiculing Islam’s prophet.
Magazine staff killed
Two Muslim radical brothers killed 12 members
of the Charlie Hebdo staff before Paris police wiped
them out in a shootout.
Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the magazine killings.
Showing no fear, Charlie Hebdo responded
with yet another front cover cartoon lampoon of
Muhammad.
A blow for freedom of expression? Or an exercise in journalistic insanity? No matter which, I admire
Charlie Hebdo’s guts.
I have always tried to steer clear of religious
doctrine and sectarian gobbledegook.
I do admit to being a big fan of Mahatma
Gandhi.
Gandhi said God has no religion.
Gandhi also said: “I like your Christ. I do not like
your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your
Christ.”
All of which confirms what I have always believed. Jesus hasn’t caused trouble for anyone.The ill
will came from members of His fan club.
• 6 • Action Magazine, February 2015
Hate the Joneses
I have always believed that it was both moral
and true to Tom Landry’s memory to hate the sin but
love the sinner. Gandhi said it long before me. I love the
Dallas Cowboys, but I will forever hate Jerry Jones.
Contrary to my upbringing, the Jews don’t believe that Jesus was the son of God, and I understood
perfectly what my friend Kinky Friedman meant when
he said, “Jesus was a damn good ole boy.”
I can hold still for most any belief system. I
didn’t even panic when a priest in a long gown splashed
water on my head at my friend’s rosary.
But the Islamic radical is a camel of another
color.
Here is a dude who believes it to be perfectly
okay for him to marry little girls and chop the heads off
his fellow men, yet fears the wrath of Allah and the imps
of Hades if caught eating a ham sandwich.
It’s hard for caricature artists and professional
jokesters to ignore turd hounds like this.
Long before Charlie Hebdo’s first volley at the
Prophet Muhammad, National Hockey League Hall of
Fame member Jiggs McDonald was taking his own irreverent shots at Islam.
Now a noted Canadian broadcaster, McDonald
was speaking in Ontario when he said: “I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against another
mosque being built in Toronto. I think it should be the
goal of every Canadian to be tolerant regardless of their
religious beliefs. Thus the mosque should be allowed in
an effort to promote tolerance.
“This is why I also propose that two nightclubs
be opened next door to the mosque, thereby promoting
tolerance from within the mosque. We could call one of
the cubs, which would be gay, The Turban Cowboy, and
the other, a topless bar, would be called You Mecca Me
Hot. Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbecue
pork restaurant called Iraq of Ribs.
“Across the street there could be a lingerie
store called Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret, with sexy
mannequins in the window modeing the goods, and on
the other side a liquor store called Morehammered.
“All of this would encourage Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us. Yes we should
promote tolerance, and you can do your part by passing
this information on. And if you are not laughing or smiling at this point, it is either past your bedtime or it’s midnight at the oasis and time to put your camel to bed.”
No Zetas back when
When I was writing a column for the San
Antonio Express-News back in the 1970s, there
were no Charlie Hebdo assaults anywhere, and
the bloodthirsty Zetas who have paralyzed Mexico
editorial boards were years from assassinating
their first poor newspaper reporter.
The French magazine has reared up and
bared its teeth at the radical Islamic world, a
laudatory blow for the free press. But it should be
noted that all of France, including all branches of
law enforcement, has demonstrated a rock-solid
support for Charlie Hebdo and other sacrilegious
publications of like ilk.
In Mexico, the poor newspaper reporter
enjoys no protection from the bad guys, and law
enforcement officials who aren’t hiding out with
the media guys are already on the cartel payrolls.
When we were emerging from journalism
school, the textbook phantasy of a fearless Evil
Eye Fleagle reporter in a trench coat was imprinted with still wet ink in our brains. Nobody
could then imagine a force so sinister and threatening as the Gulf Cartel or the violent corpsemaking Zetas.
I believe it would be hard for me to condemn any surviving member of the Charlie Hebdo
staff should he or she elect to get another job.
I’m ready to testify that the Prophet
Muhammad was probably a damn good old boy,
for self preservation is an inherent attribute to be
cherished. And I have never had to trudge in the
shoes of a Mexican newspaper reporter.
Had I have walked out of the ExpressNews city room to view Dan Cook or Paul Thompson swinging from the Nolan Street bridge, I would
have hung up my typewriter ribbon on the spot.
Blues favorite has been working with West Side Horns
Laurabell continued from page 4
Laurabell and the Blue
Aces, and the founding
and operation of a border
collie rescue operation in
the Bulverde area.
“I’ve lived in a lot of
places since leaving my
home at age 16 here in
the early seventies,” Laurabell said. “I attended
Coker Elementary in San
Antonio. Also Garner Middle School and MacArthur
High School where I
played both flute and piccolo in the high school
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marching band. I started
singing in a church choir
when I was 10. I did have
some private voice training. My teacher was Mary
Stewart Loper. I was in an
acappella choir in high
school and I made it to
state in vocal competition.”
Describing herself as a
“hippie” when she left
home, Laurabell says she
has lived at one time and
then another in California,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Maryland, and
Texas.
“I have been to every
state but Maine and
Hawaii. Yes, I have been to
Alaska, too,” Laurabell
said.
Laurabell’s mom, June
Bell, had a friend in the
San Antonio Symphony
who predicted that Laura
would grow up to be a professional vocalist.
“My mom’s friend heard
me singing in the back
seat of a car when I was
3,” Laurabell said. “And I
had wanted to be a singer
Henry Rivas
since I was old enough to
breathe. Mom held me
back during the really
early years for fear I would
ruin my voice.”
Laurabell first started
dabbling in live jazz
singing in the 1970s when
she lived in Portland, Oregon. And it was in Portland
that she operated a battered women shelter.
“I also opened other
shelters across the country at that time, with the
home base in Portland,”
Laurabell said. “And I
wound up in Portland like
I did in most other places I
went. Usually because of
a guy.”
While in Portland, Laurabell attended Maryhurst
College in 1978 and 1979,
majoring in music. She
dropped out when she became pregnant with her
son.
“It is still my dream to
someday graduate from
college,” she said.
From Portland, Laurabell moved to the Baltimore area, and it was in
Fells Point, Maryland that
she worked first as a wait-
ress and later as a jazz
performer in a place called
Bertha’s Restaurant.
“I loved Bertha’s,” Laurabell said. “It was a
seafood place with live
music, and the Bertha’s
bumper sticker became famous all over the country.
It said Eat Berths’s Mussels.”
It was at Bertha’s that
Laurabell met Paul Wingo
of the Paul Wingo Jazz
Trio, the man who was to
eventually influence her
career as a blues diva.
“Paul Wingo still works
Bertha’s with a jazz trio,
and I still drop in on him
when I am in that area,”
Laurabell said. “My early
jazz influences were
artists like Ella Fitzgerald,
Anita O’Day, Billie Holiday,
and Eartha Kitt. And I really loved a singer by the
name of Annie Ross. She
was with a group called
Lambert, Hendricks and
Ross. I guess she and Ella
Fitzgerald
were
my
biggest jazz influences.”
But it was Wingo the
jazz trio leader who
steered Laurabell to the
Al Gomez
blues.
“You’ve got a natural
blues voice,” he said. “You
should use it.”
The blues came natural
to Laurabell, and she now
credits such major influContinued on pg. 14
Laurabell with guitarist Mike Clancey
Jack Barber
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 7 •
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 9 •
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• 10 • Action Magazine, February 2015
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Goodbye Rod
Action Magazine lost a
longtime advertiser and a
true friend last month with
the death
of Rod
Sanders, owner-operator
of Rod Dog’s Saloon on
Wagon Wheel.
Rod Sanders
Rod died of a heart attack January 7 at age 70.
Like most night club industry survivors, Sanders
observed an unwritten
code of ethics which ensured his longevity in the
rough-and-tumble saloon
keeper business.
“Don’t poach my employees and I won’t poach
yours,” Sanders always
said.
He opened Rod Dog’s
Saloon 18 years ago, and
he advertised in Action
Magazine
without
a
monthly miss since his
grand opening in October
of 1996.
At this writing, the club
was open and doing business as always with manager Karen Krooss in
charge of daily operations.
Sanders was an old pro
who was operating drinking joints in Austin during
the 1960s. He prided himself on a bevy of female
bartenders and waitresses with what he called
unequaled good looks.
“I have the prettiest bartenders in town,” Sanders
often boasted, “and there
are those who will go to
any lengths to hire them
away.”
In addition to plenty of
civilian experience in the
nightclub
industry,
Sanders paid dues and
put in extensive time running military drinking
joints.
The name for his San
Antonio drinkery was actually
hatched from his service
in the military.
“Rod Dog was my call
sign in Viet Nam communications,” Sanders said.
Rodney Sanders began
his career in the bar and
nightclub industry in
Austin while on active duty
in the United States Air
Force
stationed
at
Bergstrom Air Force Base
(AFB). During 1967 and
1968, Sanders
was co-owner of the Pioneer Club on Airport Blvd
and
Oak Springs Road.
Sanders was also coowner of the Idle Hour
Club on Airport Boulevard
in Austin, and he also
managed Austin’s Petite
Lounge.
A Viet Nam combat veteran, Sanders was an
NCO floor manager during
his tour of duty, and he
later managed NCO clubs
at Blaine AFB in Washington State, Travis AFB in
California, and after completing a course in club
management at Michigan
State University, he was
assigned by the Air Force
as a club management
specialist directly respon-
sible for operations of 22
officer and NCO clubs
throughout the country.
Sanders finished his
service in the Air Foce at
Randolph AFB in San Antonio where he was responsible for placement of
all enlisted managers and
assistants in 285 Air Force
clubs all over the world.
After retiring from the
Air Force in 1983,
Sanders became general
manager of the Uvalde
Country Club in Uvalde, a
job he held until 1996
when he bought J.J.’s on
Wagon Wheel Drive from
Johnny Johnson and converted the business to
Rod Dog’s Saloon.
The joint was a moneylosing
wreck
when
Sanders took over, but this
trend was soon to be reversed.
Employing sales and
promotional techniques he
learned in the Air Foce,
Sander soon had Rod
Dog’s Saloon up and running as a profitable nightclub venture.
“I started with the most
professional bar staff I
could find,” Sanders once
told us. “What they didn’t
know I personally trained
the lot of them, and it sure
didn’t hurt that these girls
were the best looking bartenders and waitresses on
the local bar scene.”
Rod always stressed
the importance of his continuing advertisement in
Action Magazine.
“I have always believed
in the magazine, and I
know that our consistent
presence in the publication has been a part of
Rod Dog’s success,”
Sanders said. “Consis-
tency is the key to successful print advertising.”
Rod was a standup guy
who said what he meant
and meant what he said,
and there are a bunch of
us out here who will miss
him.
Sportsman’s Bar
The Sportsman’s Bar in
Converse is a large, modern, sports bar and live
music venue with games
galore and a Facebook
page, but it is still a mom
and pop operation which
owes much of its success
to the family atmosphere.
“Mom” and “Pop” in this
operation are Kathy and
George Richel, husband
wife
owners/operators
who have maintained a
nightclub presence in
Converse for nine years,
the last two at the current
location, 9204 FM 78 in
Converse.
“We do live music on
Fridays,” George Richel
said. “It’s variety music-classic rock, blues, even
some Tejano. We have
bands like Painted Pony,
Texas Radio, The Groove
Factory, and Los Tovares.
My wife Kathy basically
manages the place.” The
club features karaoke on
Saturdays.
Sportsman’s Bar is Action’s new advertiser in
Converse, but the location
has a familiar feel simply
because we have been
there before.
Way back when, we
had an advertising club in
the same location known
as Billie’s Irish Pub.
Old Billy’s didn’t measure up to the current operation. The Richels show all
sporting events on 11 55inch TVs, including UFC
PPVs with no cover to
watch.
Sportsman’s Bar also
features four pool tables,
two dart boards and tap
trivia, a feature which
George says is not available in any other bar in the
area.
Kathy Richel
Young benefit
The second cancer
benefit for musician Ron
Young will be held February 8 at Sam’s Burger
George Richel
Joint.
At this writing, Young
was cancer-free, but medical expenses since his
last round of surgeries
have far surpassed his insurance provisions.
Ron Young
Doors open at 1 p.m.
for the benefit. A $10 cash
donation at the door will
be asked. There will be
silent auction items and
door prizes.
The entertainment
schedule includes The
Lesti Huff Band, 2 p.m.,
Blue Note Ringos, 3 p.m.,
Ron Young-Scott Gale
Band with Johnny Gross,
4 p.m., Ken Slavin, 5 p.m.,
The West Side Horns with
Augie Meyers, 6 p.m.,
Geronimo Trevino, 7 p.m.,
Bekka Kelso and The Fellas, 8 p.m., and a 9 p.m.
guitar jam featuring Jimmy
Spacek, Ruben V, and
Claude (Butch) Morgan.
Co-hosts will be Steven
O. Sellers, Nikki Young,
and Chris Casseb. Posters
by Jerry Clayworth.
Grow a vagina
Leave it to Betty White
when it comes to outspoken tough.
Said Betty:
Why do people say
“grow some balls”?
Balls are weak and
sensitive.
If you wanna really get
tough, grow a vagina!
These things really
take a pounding.
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 11 •
The best of Sam Kindrick
The secret life and hard times of a cedar chopper
A true Texas treasure and 21st Century antique
Now back on the
market through
special offer!
(Book printed in 1973)
CLUB OWNERS
MAKE MORE
MONEY $$$
Reduce Credit Card Expenses
For 41 consecutive years,
this book by Action Magazine
editor-publisher Sam Kindrick
has narrowly escaped the
New York Times best seller list
To receive a copy of
The best of Sam Kindrick, send an
$8 check or money order to
Action Magazine,
4825 Elm Creek Drive,
Bulverde, Texas 78163.
We do not do plastic.
Handling and postage included.
GET A MINI BANK (ATM) IN
YOUR CLUB AT NO
EXPENSE TO YOU!
We provide ATM’s for
festivals and other events
• INTERNET JUKE BOXES
• VALLEY POOL TABLES
• ELECTRONIC DARTS
• VIDEO GAMES
BROADWAY AMUSEMENTS
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210-344-9672
www.broadwayamusements.com
advertising is worthless if you have nothing worth advertising
Put your money where the music is. . .
Advertise in Action Margazine
• 12 • Action Magazine, February 2015
Readers liked our Death of Bulverde column
Sam:
I enjoyed that article on
Bulverde, Sam, although
it's a frustrating subject and
happening in too many
places.
We've really enjoyed all your pieces
over the years, Sam Kindrick. Thanks so much for
your perspective and contributions to our scene with
your insights and writing.
Dee Lusk
Sam:
I agree with you, Sam.
on the death of Bulverde.
We have only been in
this area for 20 years and
that's when the only businesses at 46 and 281 were
the Exxon and Gin's grocery. When the Home
Depot merely mentioned
building, the residents of
Bulverde all gathered with
torches and pitch forks,
right fully so, to protect their
country
surroundings
being the main reason they
fled San Antonio in the first
place.
I didn't even hear a
whisper about Singing Hills
until they started bulldozing
the oaks. I just thought it
was strange that the news
about Home Depot stirred
the hornets nest more than
the plans of Walmart.
Maybe I was under a rock
and just didn't hear about
it?
Well, Sam, is it time for
all of us to head north?
I'm not happy at all
about
Singing Hills. It should've
been named Raped Hills.
Scott Simon
Sam,
Great story, the Death
of Bulverde. My feelings
exactly. I only wish you
would have made a reference to the "real" Bulverde
@ FM1863 & Bulverde
Lane.
A convenience
store/gas station now
stands on the site of
Wood's Store, which was
Bulverde Store, meeting
place, post office, etc. I
have been going to Bulverde for 60 years.
Richard Specht and his
wife held me in their arms
when I was a baby. I was
there the day Specht's
Lane was paved. We used
to play baseball, football &
shoot doves in the backyard of Specht's Store.
I remember watching
the Grand Old Opry by the
wood burning stove on
Saturday night while my
dad drank beer at the bar.
I remember watching
Texas vs OU on the little
black and white TV broadcast from a local Austin
station because the networks didn't carry it back
then.
I remember Alberta
Schmidt slicing slab bacon,
huge rounds of cheese &
Serv-A-Lot.
Yep, Bulverde was a
pretty cool place. But now
it's gone.
P.S.: When I was a kid I
would run out in the front
yard and grab the San Antonio Express before I went
to school so I could go to
the editorial page and read
a column by a guy who I
thought was the coolest
guy around, Sam Kindrick.
Charles N. Lambrecht
Hello Sam
I just read your article
regarding the death of Bulverde and totally agree. I'm
trying to remember if we
have met before at the old
Honey Creek. You probably
know my brother Brian
Metcalf. He was an after
work regular there for a
Augie
Meyers
said it:
Quote of the
month
Great Barbecue...
Great Texas Music...
Come Join The Fun...
Thursday Bike Night
Live Classic Rock & Blues
Friday Fish Fry and Dance
Live Country Band
Saturday
Concert and Dance
Classic Car and Hotrod
Cruise Every Sunday 1:30pm
to 6:30pm
210-263-3805
www.texaspridebbq.net
“You can have God riding
a bicycle on a high wire
stretched across the roof
of the AT&T Center, and
nobody will be there to
watch if nobody knows of
the event.”
Prevent no-shows
Demonstrate your good sense
Advertise in Action Magazine
(830) 980-7861
long time and a first class
bullshitter. You had to roll
your pants up pretty high in
there!
I enjoy your magazine. It
reminds me of an older,
better time in San Antonio
and the surrounding areas.
Hope you're well and
keep up the good work.
Thanks for all you do for us
"homeboys...San Antone
boys".
Sincerely,
Todd Metcalf
Mr. Kindrick
Subject: Death Of Bulverde
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very
moving.So saddened with
what is happening in the
Hill Country. Native of
Boerne!! Yes, growth is invevitable but let’s do it with
dignity and grace. The
death of Boerne is the
same story. Remember
Boerne and Bulverde forever.
Craig R. Steketee
Herb’s Hat Shop
The Legacy will
never die!
rb
The late He
We who are carrying
on want to thank our
many customers for a
great holiday season!
rroll
and Pat Ca
30% off all straw hats
through February 2015
4922 Rigsby 648-9242
9 a.m. til 6 p.m.
Tuesday thru Friday
Saturday 9 a.m. til 4 p.m.
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 13 •
Laurabell
Continued from page 7
ences as Aretha Franklin,
Etta James,
and Janis Joplin, along
with the many jazz greats
who have impacted her
career.
It was in 1990 that
Laura Bell returned to San
Antonio and established a
fan base who know her
most widely as Laurabell.
She came home to nurse
her ailing mom (now deceased), and never got
around the leaving again.
“I started hitting the
jams around town,” she recalls, “and it wasn’t long
before someone directed
me to the big jam they
used to have in the Holiday Inn. That’s where I got
in with the musicians who
were getting ready to
found the San Antonio
Blues Society. The main
guy who helped me then
was Chris Cortissoz, guitarist at the Holiday Inn
jams.”
Laurabell was on the
first blues society board of
directors, and she sang on
the society’s compilation
record of Robert Johnson
originals.
“Rusty Martin and several other local blues
singers are on that
record,” Laurabell recalls.
The name of the record is
Hot Tamales, and it features local artists doing
nothing but Robert Johnson songs.
Laurabell sings John-
son tunes Come On Into
My Kitchen and Sweet
Home Chicago on the Hot
Tamales cd.
Back in San Antonio
and drawing a lot of notice
at area jams, it wasn’t long
before Laurabell formed
her original Blue Aces
Band.
They played such clubs
as Wings on West Avenue
and Salute on St. Mary’s
Street. Those original Blue
Aces included the late
Charlie Beall on lead guitar, the late Steve Mallot
on bass, Urban Urbano on
drums, and Laurabell on
lead vocals.
In 1994 she was
named female vocalist of
the year by Current Magazine, and Laurabell has
opened for Mitch Ryder
and The Detroit Wheels,
Son Seals, and James
Cotton.
Other musicians and
groups she has sung with
include Jimmy Spacek,
Joe
Jama,
Chris
Holzhaus, Clay Meyers,
Ernie Garibay, Albert Garcia, Will Indian, Robbie G,
Mike Ellis, Jartse Tuominen, Rusty Martin, Eddie
Polanco, George Prado,
Geronimo Trevino and ad
infinitum. There are far too
many to fit into this article.
“Azaneth Dominguez
gave me my first paying
gig in San Antonio at
Salute,” Laurabell said. “I
miss Azaneth, and I miss
places like Salute. I hate it
when a venue like that
closes down.”
If black depression and
holes dug deeper than the
floorboards of hell are
conducive to great blues
delivery, then Laurabell
might have been favorably
affected before releasing
her cd Laura Bell & The
Blue Aces.
It’s her one and only to
this date, but it is one hell
of a recording, and the
down side of it all is her inability to sell copies of the
record because of a technical snafu.
“It can’t be marketed
because we didn’t include
the names of the writers
behind the 11 tunes on
the cd,” Laurabell said. “I
guess we didn’t know we
needed those names
when we were putting it
together, or maybe someone just forgot. But there is
no way I can legally sell
copies of the cd the way it
is. The writers are due any
royalty payments that
might result from record
sales.”
According to Laurabell,
a total of $8,000 went into
production of the record,
and it would take another
$1,000 to reprint it with
proper credits included..
“That’s a thousand dollars I just don’t have,” Laurabell said, “but where
there is a will there may be
a way. If I could reprint I
am sure we could sell it on
the internet, and I have
learned that Target stores
would also handle the
product. We’ll see.”
Tunes on the album include such American classics as Summertime and
St. James Infirmary Blues.
“St. James Infirmary is
so old that few even know
who wrote it,” Laurabell
said. “Everyone in the
world has recorded that
old classic.”
Musicians with Laurabell on the record include
Mike Clancey on guitar
and vocals, Mike Zeal on
bass, Jerry Clayton on
drums, Will Owen Gage
on lead guitar, Al Gomez
on trumpet, Albert Garcia
and Henry Rivas on sax,
and R.B. Blackstone on
keyboards.
Jerry Clayton produced
the recording.
“I dedicated the record
to those original Blue
Aces, and to my late
brother Bruce Bell,” Laurabell said. “Charlie Beall
and Steve Mallot are both
gone, leaving only me and
Urban Urbano from that
original band. My brother
Bruce was dying of cancer
when he visited me in Baltimore and made me
promise that I would
someday
record
an
album. So I did it for him
and the guys who were
with me from the very beginning.”
The photographs accompanying this article
were shot at Raffles
where Laurabell worked
recently with The West
Side Horns, a super-tal-
ented group of pros that
includes Al Gomez on
trumpet, Mike Clancey on
guitar, Jack Barber on
bass, Henry Rivas on sax,
and Anthony Hernandez
on keyboards.
“These guys are all incredible,” Laurabell said. “I
feel really blessed to be
able to work with such talents.”
If she had it all to do
over again, Laurabell said
in answer to that question:
“I would do it without ever
taking a drink of alcohol.”
But there have also
been some accompanying
health issues which have
become more manageable over the past six
months.
“I have Scheuermann’s
Disease, a degenerative
back problem I’ve had
since birth. It gets worse
with age.” Laurabell said.
“I was managing a Dennys right up until the time
B.K. pulled up and left. I
have medication for the
back problem, and the
doctor tells me that my
blood sugar situation has
improved so that I am no
longer in the diabetic classification. And then there
was the hepatitis C issue.
I got so sick from the
chemotherapy
that I
thought I was going to die.
But I seem to be past that
one now.”
With a rueful grimace
Laurabell quickly cut back
to the chase.
“I understand without a
doubt that nothing good
can come to me if I don’t
stay sober. When I drink alcohol, something bad always happens.”
Now it’s start over time
for the blues singer. She is
currently living in a tiny
San Antonio apartment,
armed with an acoustic
guitar, a harmonica, a
small amp, and a microphone.
“I play a mean blues
harp,” Laurabell said. “Most
people don’t know that I
also play guitar. I have
been shy about using the
guitar on stage, but that is
getting ready to change.
And I am starting to write
some original material,
something I have been
hesitant about in the past.”
She says there is no
feelings left for the ex-husband who packed his
sack.
“I don’t even miss B.K.,”
she said. “What I really
miss is my little house and
the three acres in Bulverde. They foreclosed on
the house and repossessed my van. But that’s
all in the past and I know I
have to let go.”
Her eyes misted over
for a couple of seconds.
Her chin trembled just a little. Then the all-so-familiar
refrain might have echoed
through the hallways of her
memory:
One day at a time
“Now,” said Laurabell,”I
am looking for a gig.”
Where to find Action Magazine
Northeast
Adrenalin Tattoos
Century Music
Charlie Brown’s
Cooper’s Lounge
Cootey’s
Crazy D’s
Cross-Eyed Seagull
Fiasco
Finnegan’s
Fitzgerald’s
Guitar Center
Hangin’ Tree
Jack’s
Jack-N-Arund
Jeff Ryder Drums
Jerry Dean’s
Locoe’s Sports Bar
Main Street Bar & Grill
Make My Day
Martinis
Marty’s
Midnight Rodeo
Papa’s Bar & Grill
Penthouse
• 14 • Action Magazine, February 2015
Phantasy Tattoo
Planet K
Rebar
Recovery Room
Rod Dog’s Saloon
Rolling Oaks
Scandal’s
Schooner’s
Sherlock’s
Spanky’s
STATS
Sunset Club
Thanks for Vaping
(2 locations)
Thirsty Turtle
Winston’s
Northwest
Alamo Music
Baker Street Pub
Bone Headz
Coco Beach
Fatso’s
Hemingways
Highlander
Hills and Dales
Ice House Bar
Joe’s Ice
Kennedy’s
Knuckleheads
Mitchell’s
Planet K
Stacy’s Sports Bar
Whiskey’s
Central &
Downtown
Alamo Music
Armadillo
Augies BBQ
Bob’s Burgers
Bombay Bicycle Club
Casbeers
Cove
Goodtime Charlies
Joe Blues
Joey’s
Limelight
Luther’s cafe
The Mix
Olmos Bharmacy
Pigstand
Planet K
Sam’s Burger
Joint
Tycoon Flats
Southside
Big T’s
Brooks Pub
Flipside Record Parlor
Herb’s Hat Shop
Leon’s
Mustang Sally’s
Planet K
Shady Lady
Spurr 122
Texas Pride BBQ
The Other Woman
The Steer
The Trap
Daddy O’s
Max’s Roadhouse
Rusty Spur
Shade Tree Saloon
Specht’s Store
Taqueria
Aguascalientes
Tetco, 46 & 281
Leon Springs
Angry Elephant
Longhorn Restaurant
Silver Fox
Live Oak
Boerne
South Paw Tattoos
Dog and Pony Grill
China Grove
Selma
China Grove
Trading Post
Longbranch
Bluebonnet Palace
Deer Crossing
Universal City
Converse
Sportsman’s Bar
Bulverde area
Helotes
Antler’s Restaurant
Bobby J’s
Floore Store
Billy D’s
Planet K
All guitars on sale
thru the month
of February
The Robert Demel Band
plays every
Wednesday at
Martini’s
Start time is 8pm
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
Come on in
and celebrate
the
Rod Dog Way
Coldest Beer
and
Hottest
Bartenders
in
town!
ROD SANDERS, PROPRIETOR
KAREN KROOSS, GEN. MGR.
13247 BANDERA RD, HELOTES, TX 78237 210-695-4941
NOW FEATURING LIVE MUSIC!
In loving memory of your founder Rod Sanders
2617 Wagon Wheel Dr.
The staff at Rod Dog’s Saloon
FEBRUARY BAND SCHEDULE
Wed
Fri
Sat
Sun
Wed
Fri
Sat
Sun
Wed
Fri
Sat
Sun
Wed
Fri
Sat
4
6
7
8
11
13
14
15
18
20
21
22
25
27
28
7-9pm
7-10pm
7-10pm
6-8pm
7-9pm
7-10pm
7-10pm
6-8pm
7-9pm
7-10pm
7-10pm
6-8pm
7-9pm
7-10pm
7-10pm
Songwriters night
Laura Marie
Michael Wald
Hosted by Adrian Rodriguez
Songwriters night
Bonnie Lang
Lee Winright
Hosted by Adrain Rodriguez
Songwriters night
Bryan Bros
Art & Lisa
Hosted by Adrain Rodriguez
Songwriters night
Bonnie Lang
Dave & Dawn
Songwriters night
every
Wednesday
7-9pm
Hosted
by
Amy
Hermes
ENJOY THE BEST IN OLD FASHIONED HAMBURGERS,
GREAT BEER AND WONDERFUL MUSIC!
828-CLUB (2582)
OPEN: 10AM - 2AM MON. - SAT. 12PM - 2AM SUN
A FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD
ESTABLISHMENT
Action Magazine, February 2015 • 15 •